1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which can reserve a plurality of jobs.
2. Description of Related Art
In image forming apparatuses such as a printer, a copier, a scanner or a multi functional printer of them, an image forming process is executed according to an image process request called a job. Conventionally, the image forming apparatus which can reserve a plurality of jobs and which executes the plurality of reserved jobs in order is widely used as the above image forming apparatus.
In the above described image forming apparatus, the image forming process stops when paper cannot be fed due to a cause such as insufficiency in paper or the like while the job is in execution. In such case, the image forming process remains in a stopped state until restart of the image forming process is instructed after the cause of stopping of the image forming process is removed by supplying paper, by carrying out change in setting condition of the job or the like. Therefore, when a job in which the image forming process stops is included in the reserved jobs, there are problems that utilization rate and productivity of the image forming apparatus decline.
In order to prevent the utilization rate of the image forming apparatus from declining, there is a need to know the job in which the image forming process stops and to carry out processes for not allowing the image forming process to stop such as supplying the paper, changing the reserved order of execution of the job, holding the job, deleting the job, changing the setting condition of the job or the like.
In FIG. 15, a job list screen of the conventional image forming apparatus is shown.
In the job list screen of FIG. 15, setting information of a plurality of reserved jobs including the job which is in execution are displayed by a list in the reserved order of execution, and a mode (for example, printer mode, copy mode), a condition (in execution or reserved), number of sheets of paper (for example, 20 sheets), number of copies (for example, 3 copies), remaining number of sheets of paper (for example, 60 sheets), time (for example, 1 minutes), user name (for example, Yamada Tarou) and file name (for example, test file) of each of the jobs can be recognized by being corresponded to one another.
However, in the job list screen of FIG. 15, the job in which the image forming process stops cannot be known in advance. Therefore, what approach should be taken in order not to stop the image forming process cannot be determined and there is a problem that an appropriate approach for not stopping the image forming process is difficult to be carried out.
In view of the above problem, there is suggested a printing system which displays a matrix in which the vertical axis indicates paper type and the horizontal axis indicates a scheduled job on a screen in a schedule mode (for example, see JP2004-348713). In the screen, what type of paper is to be used in each of the reserved jobs can be recognized, and also, the time when the paper becomes insufficient can be confirmed.
In JP2004-348713, the job in which the paper becomes insufficient and the times when papers of each type become insufficient can be recognized on the screen. However, detail of the job in which the image forming process stops cannot be known by only looking at the screen. Therefore, even the image forming apparatus of JP2004-348713 cannot determine how to approach the job in which the image forming process stops and a prompt approach according to each of the jobs cannot be carried out. Therefore, the image forming apparatus cannot be operated efficiently.